Economy

Join Michigan Radio's State of Opportunity Project on Wednesday, May 8, at 6:30 p.m. at the Ypsilanti District Library (map) in the Whittaker Room for a screening of the documentary "American Winter." And stay for the conversation afterward with reporters from the Michigan Radio's State of Opportunity Project and Jeff Brown, State Director from Communities in Schools. 

For those who are searching for jobs, Grand Rapids might be an ideal location to begin your search.

2012 was a phenomenal year for the city in terms of job growth with the creation of nearly 13,000 jobs.

Forbes Magazine has put Grand Rapids at number four on its list of the ten best cities to find a job.

Just to give you some context, Bethesda Maryland, Austin Texas, and Jacksonville Florida, are ranked one, two and three.

George Erickeck from W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research tells us what's behind this and what it means.

You can listen to the full interview above.

DETROIT (AP) - Donations from businesses and federal grants will allow Detroit to keep open 50 public parks slated for closure this year due to lack of money.

Mayor Dave Bing says Wednesday that the donations include $5 million over five years from auto industry supplier Lear Corp. Other donors include General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co., Marathon Petroleum and the Kellogg Foundation.

Several businesses, community groups and residents also have adopted parks in order to keep them open.

The parks donations follow a pledge of $8 million from businesses and foundations for 23 EMS units and 100 police cars.

Detroit's finances are under control of a state-appointed emergency manager. The city's budget deficit is about $327 million.

More than 200 city parks were closed between 2008 and 2009.

Dan Gilbert.

The founder of Quicken Loans.

A man with deep pockets.

Taking advantage of what he calls Detroit's "Skyscraper Sale."

He owns three million square feet of downtown commercial space.

His stated goal is to breathe new life into downtown Detroit.

The Sunday New York Times business section calls him the "Motor City Missionary."

So what does Dan Gilbert's "Opportunity Detroit" plan mean for the city and its people?

We asked George Galster - professor of urban studies and planning at Wayne State University - author of "Driving Detroit" - and Toni Griffin - founder of Urban Planning and Design for the American City - director of the Technical Planning Team for the Detroit Future City Plan - and professor of architecture at the City College of New York.

They've got credibility. We asked them questions.

You can listen to the full interview above.

Detroit has the most “job sprawl” of any metropolitan area in the country, according to a new Brookings Institution report that looks at how jobs are distributed throughout metro regions.

The report found that 77 percent of metro Detroit’s jobs are more than 10 miles outside the city’s central business district. The nationwide average is 43 percent.

Inside the massive Ultimate Soccer Arenas in Pontiac, you can buy a cappucino at the cafe, some new cleats at the sports equipment shop, and then head over to do some of the real business of the place - playing the world's most popular sport on its two full-size indoor fields. 

Home to numerous youth and adult soccer leagues, the facility is usually sold out for regional competitions.

The arena also boasts an indoor lacrosse field - and now its owners plan to expand.